The decline of the Civil War re-enactor

Legions of hobbyists donned the blue and gray in the 1980s and '90s. But younger Americans are shunning the battlefield — and rethinking the meaning of the war.

A Civil War reenactment.
(Image credit: Teacherdad48/iStock)

The sun rose on the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg, 2018, to reveal a line of cars parked behind the Union Army's tents.

It was an annoying historical anachronism for the brigade's commander, Ted Brennan, 49, who was brushing his teeth with a horsehair toothbrush.

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